The hard thing for me to figure out.... is "does feeling depressed cause anxiety OR so having anxiety make you feel depressed?" Maybe that is why your doc wants you to stay on the ativan and nothing else for awhile. Like I said.... my doctor, who is roughly my age and a female, assured me it was perfectly fine for me to use the prozac for a week or so before my period... it does have a short lifespan in your system and it works great for me. I'm not really happy with my gyn, but I do love my internist. She sits and listens.... and listen to me until we get it right. I really have been feeling pretty good!!

Hello Linda, Kris and others,Kris, if you can get away with taking a drug for only a few days a month, that's great! Isn't it wonderful to find a doctor who listens? You are fortunate, hang on to your internist. I love my GYN like that!

Linda, I'm not clinically depressed. My GYN suggested Prozac right off because one of my main symptoms was a sort of boulimia. I was eating until I got sick to my stomach. Now, I must say that I've been strict and careful of my eating and exercising for years, so this type of eating was so un-like me. So the GYN guessed right and the Prozac really seems to help.

What's concerning me with you is that you've been treated with Progesterone and thyroid medication for over 8 months are you're still not getting any real relief?! That seems very wrong to me. Those two meds kicked in for me within 4-6 weeks. Have you done all the hormone blood tests? I certainly am NOT a doctor, but I would be very frustrated if I were you. Maybe the ADs would help you in the sense that your hormones may be worse due to your depression. Just guessing!

I do hope that you'll find the right solution. Talk to your therapist and get some other opinions.

FilleFrançaise wrote:Hello Linda, Kris and others,Kris, if you can get away with taking a drug for only a few days a month, that's great! Isn't it wonderful to find a doctor who listens? You are fortunate, hang on to your internist. I love my GYN like that!

Linda, I'm not clinically depressed. My GYN suggested Prozac right off because one of my main symptoms was a sort of boulimia. I was eating until I got sick to my stomach. Now, I must say that I've been strict and careful of my eating and exercising for years, so this type of eating was so un-like me. So the GYN guessed right and the Prozac really seems to help.

What's concerning me with you is that you've been treated with Progesterone and thyroid medication for over 8 months are you're still not getting any real relief?! That seems very wrong to me. Those two meds kicked in for me within 4-6 weeks. Have you done all the hormone blood tests? I certainly am NOT a doctor, but I would be very frustrated if I were you. Maybe the ADs would help you in the sense that your hormones may be worse due to your depression. Just guessing!

I do hope that you'll find the right solution. Talk to your therapist and get some other opinions.

Be well, Fille

Well my TSH was all but 100 when we started on the thyroid meds, and my 1st doc should be shut down for malpractice! She had me so screwed up!! I met another woman (I did not know prior) and was talking about my thryoid and she asked what doc I saw, named her and it was this woman also saw her and had the same mess. Long story short, we both have moved onto new docs. I have only had my thryoid meds up to the amount I need for the past two months via my new doc. The progesterone, I only started on about 4 weeks ago now. I am still thinking of talking to the therapist, just not now. I am too busy right now and we go on vacation next week, then I start school the following week! YIKES huh!??Thanks for the info!!!!I have been reading up on the Ativan and think it is a dangerous drug to be on!

Linda..... I have to agree with you... it is unsettling for me, to take any kind of drug and my goal is to overcome needing them. (of course through diet and exercise ) I believe its possible, but I guess I make too many excuses for myself, for not doing what I should be doing......... I have great aspirations..... but a busy life seems to get in the way of taking better care of myself. I too, get alarmed when I read the 'insert' on any medication, including tylenol.My mom took so much medication for severe arthritis, that after awhile it compromised her immune system....... her platelet counts went up to over a million and she was a walking time bomb...... she went on chemotheraputic drugs for that, along with all the steroids and anti-inflammatories for arthritis and then she got cancer. Yeah, drugs scare me, but they are so crucial to the quality of some lives.I just try to do the best I can and not worry right now about what i have to do to feel better through peri-menopause. (and of course, keep trying to take better care of myself!!)

In response to your response to me... ... I live in Colorado Springs with my hubby and 7 year old son. We moved here from Phoenix last year and are loving it.

Boy, a lot of the women look like they have a really hard time, I'm thankful to be managing my "symptoms" naturally with nutrition, supplements and herbs... so far anyway, I know that can change pretty quick.

I went to a gyn a few years ago and had some concerns and questions about feeling so cruddy all the time, I was just starting to learn what peri was all about, and after listening to me for less than 5 minutes he recommended I take low dose bc pills and go on antidepressants. I thought, "you moron, you dont anything about me! how can you just dole out hormones and medications so easily?"

I'm glad I was so non trusting of him , I started reading all I could on the subject, eating right (no "white stuff" for one) and turned to the natural approach and it has worked really great for 3 years so far. Yeay! The two teas that I cant go without 3 weeks out of every month are Dandelion Root (for irritability) and Rasberry Leaf (cramps), then a pack of vitamins, minerals and fish oil cap's every day really have made a difference. I dont feel like I'm in a fog all the time like I used to and can manage the other "stuff" pretty good too.

The book I keep recommending is "Before the Change: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause" by Ann Louise Gittleman. Its just awesome.

Well, this is a great site that looks like it helps a lot of women, thanks for all of the support.

Hello cheri45.......I am new to Minnie Pauz but I have to say I love it....I posted a comment on "itching" and got alot of great responses....today I was reading all the posts re depression....I have suffered some depression in the past...mostly due to circumstances but always "snapped out of it"....with the help of TIME and meds....lately, after reaching 52...in the midst of opening my own business and helping my sister deal with her divorce after 32 years.... I do feel some blues .... however....this time....like you...I'm taking natural supplements...eating very healthy and walking those blues away! It takes alot of energy....but I know to feel better and to help the stress....I HAVE to do it. I LOVE products from Lorna Vanderhaeghe....and have read some of her books....I am taking MENOSENSE .... I'm not sure if it's the combo of other natural products I take regularly and the good food I eat and the walking or just her product....but I feel alot better and seem to cope better. I haven't had many PERI symptoms besides the itching and being really really really hot all the time..(I am so grateful I don't suffer like some women do)....but both have subsided....with taking this product, vit D, vit E, omega 3-6-9,calmag, a B complex....and a ton of water!!! I truly believe in taking the natural approach first. I'm still MAD that men don't suffer like us......!! LOL

Four Supplements for Mild DepressionI recommend a range of lifestyle changes for treatment of mild depression. The following supplements can also be useful:

B vitamins, especially folic acid and vitamin B6. St. John's wort. This herbal remedy has long been used in Europe as a treatment for mood disorders. Standardized extracts have shown an effectiveness equaling Prozac in the treatment of mild to moderate forms of depression. It should not be taken with anti-retroviral medications, birth control pills, or antidepressant medications, especially prescription SSRIs such as Prozac or Celexa. Try 300 mg of an extract standardized to 0.3 percent hypericin, three times a day. Its full effect will be felt in about eight weeks. SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine). Has the advantage of working more quickly than St John's wort. Use only the butanedisulfonate form in enteric-coated tablets, or in capsules. Try 400-1,600 mg a day on an empty stomach. Fish oil. Studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may be helpful in maintaining a stable, positive mood. I think that reasonable doses of fish-oil supplements (1,000 - 2,000 mg per day) might be useful in addressing mild depression. Fish oil is an excellent source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential fatty acid found in nerve and brain tissue. In addition, follow a well-balanced diet and include an antioxidant multi-vitamin/mineral supplement to ensure you are meeting your dietary needs for all the essential nutrients.